GREENFIELD — Opioid-related deaths rose to record highs in 2016 in Massachusetts, driven by the proliferation of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, according to the Department of Public Health.
Fourth-quarter statistics released Friday showed an estimated 13 percent increase in opioid-related deaths statewide from last year — and a 43.5 percent increase since 2014.
The 2016 estimated total of deaths is at 1,979, which is more than double the numbers of three years ago.
In Franklin County, the number of 2015 deaths doubled from 2013, rising to 18 — reflecting the statewide trend.
“When we started (in 2013) the whole task force, it really was awareness around Percocet and to lock your medicine cabinet,” co-chairman of the Opioid Task Force John Merrigan said Friday.
The report by the state’s DPH notes that although heroin-related deaths have fallen, fentanyl-related deaths have risen at a similar rate.
“It’s much more rapid and much more dangerous in its ability to get people addicted and also to cause some serious injury and death,” Merrigan said. “There’s no second chance.”
Fentanyl was the biggest cause of opioid-related deaths.
Available statistics show a rise in Greenfield deaths. In 2014 three people died of opioid-related deaths while in 2015 the number climbed to seven. As Merrigan noted, more deaths means more families grieving, constantly shaking the community.
“They say it would be a Greenfield or Montague problem, but people will be mistaken,” Merrigan said. “Sooner or later they’ll find out it’s their neighbor.”
The task force plans on going back to its original mission of educating the public about the dangers of substance abuse.
The task force is “asking people to begin paying attention to odd behaviors and things that don’t seem right, because they probably aren’t.”
You can reach Joshua Solomon at:
jsolomon@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 264